Pianos are beautiful and often expensive musical instruments. Moving a piano can be an enormous task that should not be taken lightly. These instruments cost thousands of dollars and are both heavy and delicate. Damage to the internal or external areas of the piano can change the sound of your piano and flush your investment in the instrument down the drain. Hiring professional and expert piano movers is important to ensure that your piano is relocated safely and intact.
While the costs related to moving your piano is a concerning factor at Wise Move, we can help you get an accurate price for moving your piano to its new location.
There are lots of factors that go into the overall cost of moving a piano. These costs are not absolute, and can vary from company to company. You can get affordable and accurate competitive quotes from New Zealand movers on the Wise Move site for free!
Certain factors will affect the cost of moving your piano.
Like most moves, the cost of moving depends on how far you need your goods to travel. Costs for moving locally or moving long distances differ to account for petrol charges and the extra time taken to travel the length or breadth of the country.
Charges for local moves usually range between NZD $2.5/km and $3.5/km whereas for long-distance piano moves, you can expect to incur $3.5-$8/km. Expect short distances to be a lot cheaper than long-distant travel.
Different pianos have different shapes, sizes and weights. Naturally, if your piano is large like a grand piano, or very heavy, more movers or equipment is required to remove it and lift it onto a truck. Here’s why the type of your instrument may add to your piano moving costs:
Heavy pianos will need more manpower and probably specialized equipment.
Grand pianos have an awkward structure and are difficult to handle and manoeuvre.
Partial disassembly may be required, along with extra wrapping and cushioning for large pianos.
If your home is oddly laid out or the access is difficult, it may cost you more to move your piano. If your piano is on the second floor it will be more expensive to move than if your piano is on the ground floor.
Stairs are the biggest, riskiest and most common obstacles all movers have to deal with. Many professional movers will use manpower (2-3 people) and specialized equipment to move your piano down a flight of stairs. Expect to incur NZD $60-$140/staircase or $6-$12/step if your move involves any stairs.
Some more obstacles that can add to your moving costs are:
Sharp turns & tight spaces
Narrow doorways
Spiral staircases
Hilly terrains
A grass, brick or gravel walkway between your home’s entrance and the movers’ truck
After keeping all the above-mentioned factors in mind, our Wise Movers have come up with the following averages and estimates for moving a piano in New Zealand.
Local Piano Move in New Zealand: Average cost of NZD $200-$500.
Long-distance Piano Move in New Zealand: Average cost of NZD $800-$2,000.
Note: To estimate your piano moving budget as accurately as possible, make sure you consider all factors related to you and allocate costs accurately to each of the factors relevant to your piano move.
Like any other cost calculation, the cost of moving a piano will differ depending on each individual circumstance. Some additional factors can affect the final price of your piano move. We have identified some of these factors below.
If your piano is located on the second floor of your home or is up a particularly large set of stairs your moving crew may use a crane to deliver it into the moving truck. Hoisting services will increase the cost of your piano move quite significantly. Prepare to pay between $750-$1,000 for a move that uses a crane.
Large, sensitive and very valuable pianos require extra care during the packing phase. They may need to be crated and dismantled, which leads to additional costs. Grand pianos usually have to be dismantled during the move; the music rack, legs and pedals are removed and stored carefully during transportation.
Dismantling a piano costs around $100. Heat-treated crating (for grand pianos) can cost between $800-$1,200.
Free insurance is usually offered by professional piano movers up to $5,000. In case you wish to buy additional insurance, you will be charged $10-$15 for every $1,000 of value.
If you wish to remove any additional items with your piano, for example, a piano bench, you will be charged on a weight basis: $2/kg.
If you require your piano movers to keep your musical instrument in storage, you can expect to incur $60-$100 monthly storage costs.
While tuning your piano happens after the move, we recommend calculating this service as part of your moving costs. It's highly likely you'll need to get your piano retuned after it's moved. During the move, the internal parts of your piano move around, which will affect its sound and performance. Getting it tuned a few weeks after the move is recommended (it will also account for the new environment’s climate and humidity).
We have calculated the total cost of a piano move after considering a range of factors. Please note your moving price may differ. For an accurate quote, use the Wise Move website to create a job listing for your piano move:
Total cost of your piano move = base rate + cost/km +cost/stair + cost/obstacle + additional costs
Here's a breakdown of the estimated costs for moving a grand and upright piano (NZ Dollars):
| Local Move | Long-distance Move | |
|---|---|---|
| Upright Piano | $200-$500 | $500-$800 |
| Grand Piano | $250-$650 | $800-$2,000 |
To look for dedicated, professional and responsible piano movers in New Zealand, use our platform and move your valuable instrumental piece safely and wisely with us!
Wise Move is a platform, where people find moving companies and independent movers. Our platform is the first of its kind in New Zealand, giving customers access to reliable, cost-effective and user-reviewed service providers with just a few short steps. Founded back in 2017, our focus has always been on making moving as simple and as effortless as possible for both customers and the professionals they rely on.
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Wise Move is the first and best online platform, connecting piano owners with expert piano movers who can help with piano transport.
Whether it’s an upright piano, a baby grand piano, an electric piano or a grand or concert grand piano, get started now with Wise Move!
It's simple and easy to create a request on Wise Move.
Describe, add photos and the dimensions of your piano in your request — anything that you think will help, will make a difference.
Our platform will reach out to piano movers relevant to your piano specification in your area.
Piano moving companies may ask you a few more details about your piano delivery before giving you a quote.
Compare prices and get to know piano movers before accepting their quote by reading previous customer feedback.
Book your preferred piano transportation company and arrange collection and delivery.
Prepare your piano for collection and transportation.
Meet and greet your chosen piano mover on your collection day.
Sit back and relax while your professional piano mover takes care of your piano.
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